The conspiracy theory, which originated on the far-right blog Conservative Treehouse, made its way to the president via a report on One America News Network, a small Fox News rival with a history of conspiracy-focused reporting. It highlights just how far the president’s media consumption can veer from the mainstream.
- The blog post claims — all without evidence — that the protester, Martin Gugino, used “a phone as a capture scanner” as “a method of police tracking used by Antifa to monitor the location of police.”
- The OANN reporter, Kristian Rouz, is a Russian national who also writes for Kremlin-owned Sputnik, per The Daily Beast.
Below is the unfounded, conspiracy theory that the ‘esteemed’ OANN has promoted:
PROTESTER INJURED IN NIAGARA SQUARE STILL HOSPITALIZED
Martin Gugino is still hospitalized and his condition remains largely unchanged. He is in serious but stable condition. Martin has acknowledged and sincerely appreciates the tremendous outpouring of support he has received nationwide. Martin and his family continue to request privacy as they focus on Martin’s health and recovery.
